Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Remembering Big

Around 100 miles west of our home, across the prairies, into the foothills, and finally in the mountains is where family history runs deep and my heart lies. Our cows are taken out there in June and pushed up high in the hills to grow fat and sassy. They'll wander down in the fall when it starts to get cool, ready to come home.
The range has been in the family for years. My heart grins that my daughter will make her own memories there, and hear about the memories of her family's past.
Stories that are vividly remembered and told over and over because history is so important to us. Stories about when her great, great Uncle was riding along with his five year old Bobby, in the bush, they came across a creek and the little guy said, "Dad, what's the name of this creek?" A reply came, "Well, son, don't you know this is Bobby Creek!"

The same Uncle was guiding a televised moose hunt, when they came around a bend, onto a creek bed, and stumbled across a grizzly bear. Faster than you could spit, he was off his horse, rifle in hand, and a bear on the ground. When this hunt was shown on TV, it's the one time mom's family was allowed to stay home from church on Sunday and watch the hunt. To this day, these creeks are still named Bobby Creek and Grizzly Creek.
One creek crossing, that's referred to in the family as Wet Socks was aptly named after my Grandpa's mishap. A hired man found him sitting by the creek, drying out his socks over a little fire, where he'd obviously fallen in while he was out checking cows.
One of the best stories of a trick to pull my Dad has passed along to my husband. After a good, heavy wet snow, give a tree a good boot while you're riding by, and the next guy get's covered in snow.

My mom grew up riding through the range at a very young age. While her love for these parts grew strong, so did her ability to ride a horse. I heard on a few occasions from my Grandpa how good at riding Mom was.

Mom tells stories of my Grandma, bringing five children out in the summer to play and make memories. She cooked huge meals in a little cabin, with no running water or electricity. She would bring her typewriter and sit and clunk away in the beauty of the wild, as there were no extra house chores to do, or people phoning or popping in.

Grandma had an ability to tell stories about life. She wrote for most national farm magazines,published several books, had stories that were heard over CBC and Drumheller radio, and many recall her hilarious weekly columns for the Red Deer advocate that would include stories about being 'Out West.' Grandma's stories were never exaggerated, our family simply remember's big! I'm blessed beyond belief to continue to pass down these stories, and am fiercely proud to be a part of this family.

What a great heritage. There is none greater than the love of the land and those that have gone before us. And of course, being 'hanner Cymraes' (half Welsh) I'm one who thinks there is nothing better than a good story and I love yours. You must have a little of your Grandma's talent.

I am thinking that you have inherited Grandma Betty's ability to write!I so enjoy reading these stories from your perspective. Please keep writing.Your photography is great too! Beautiful country......

Wow...it is so nice to have great stories to tell...stories with history handed down for generations. You live in a beautiful place.Thanks for coming by and visiting with me =)I'm ready to hear whats in your bucket!!

My dad "remembers big" too - and he loves to tell stories! Often Diddy and I will be listening to him tell someone a story that we were present for and we'll be looking at each other and saying, "That's not how it happened..."

Oh my goodness... I am SO sorry about the store being closed. I mean super sorry. I got to work and almost immediately threw up (sorry- I know.. TMI) and Serena had all the boys with her and the only thing I could do was close. :( Or keep throwing up, which would not have been a lovely sight. Hope that it will work again. Thanks for being the "touristy nerdy family type." I love it!